The Devil in the Kitchen: The Autobiography

When Marco Pierre White's mother died when he was just six years old, it transformed his life. Soon his father was urging him to earn his own keep, and by 16 he was working in his first restaurant. White went on to learn from some of the best chefs in the country, such as Albert Roux, Raymond Blanc and Pierre Koffmann. He survived the intense pressure of hundred-hour weeks in the heat of the kitchen, developed his own style and then struck out on his own.

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

Here is Anthony Bourdain's long-awaited sequel to Kitchen Confidential, the worldwide best seller. A lot has changed since then - for the subculture of chefs and cooks, for the restaurant business, and for Anthony Bourdain. Medium Raw explores these changes, moving back and forth from the author's bad old days to the present.

The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America

Ruhlman propels himself and his readers through a score of kitchens and classrooms, from Asian and American regional cuisines to lunch cookery and even table waiting, in search of the elusive, unnamable elements of great cooking.

Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food

In his lively, unprecedented close-up portrait of Ferran Adrià, award-winning food writer Colman Andrews traces this groundbreaking chef's rise from resort hotel dishwasher to culinary deity, and the evolution of El Bulli from a German-owned beach bar into the establishment voted annually by an international jury to be "the world's best restaurant".

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements - fire, water, air, and earth - to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world....

Heston Blumenthal: The Biography of the World's Most Brilliant Master Chef

Celebrity Chef Heston Blumenthal is a gastronomic alchemist who sees the kitchen as a laboratory where he loves to experiment with new ways to tantalize diners' taste buds. The story of his life is every bit as colorful and attention-grabbing as his famous snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream. This biography traces his journey from a life-changing childhood holiday in France through to his brief apprenticeship in Raymond Blanc's restaurant, where he stood up to a kitchen bully.

A Walk in the Woods

The Appalachian Trail covers 14 states and over 2,000 miles, snaking through some of the most spectacular landscapes in America. Reluctant adventurer Bryson recounts his gruelling hike along the longest continuous footpath in the world.

Gordon Ramsay: On Top of the World

Best known as the host of Fox's Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsay is one of the most driven, successful, and irate chefs around. He has thrown Hollywood actresses out of his restaurants and is notorious for his anger, but his food has been served to numerous heads of state, and he is one of only three chefs in England whose restaurant is rated at three Michelin stars. Sometimes hilarious and frequently heartbreaking, this is Gordon Ramsay's full life, from tenements and poverty to top-notch restaurants and fame.

A Greedy Man in a Hungry World: How (almost) everything you thought you knew about food is wrong

The UK's most influential food and drink journalist shoots a few sacred cows of food culture. The doctrine of local food is dead. Farmers' markets are merely a lifestyle choice for the affluent middle classes. And 'organic' has become little more than a marketing label that is way past its sell-by date. That may be a little hard to swallow for the ethically aware food shopper, but it doesn't make it any less true. And now the UK's most outspoken and entertaining food writer is ready to explain why.

The Shepherd's Life

These modern dispatches from an ancient landscape tell the story of a deep-rooted attachment to place, describing a way of life that is little noticed and yet has profoundly shaped this landscape. In evocative and lucid prose, James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd's year, offering a unique account of rural life and a fundamental connection with the land that most of us have lost.

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

Before Gabrielle Hamilton opened her acclaimed New York restaurant Prune, she spent twenty fierce, hard-living years trying to find purpose and meaning in her life. Above all she sought family, particularly the thrill and the magnificence of the one from her childhood that, in her adult years, eluded her. Hamilton's ease and comfort in a kitchen were instilled in her at an early age when her parents hosted grand parties, often for more than one hundred friends and neighbors.

Under a Mackerel Sky

'All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why'. Rick Stein's childhood in 1950s rural Oxfordshire and North Cornwall was idyllic. His parents were charming and gregarious, their five children much-loved and given freedom typical of the time. As he grew older, the holidays were filled with loud and lively parties in his parents' Cornish barn. But ever-present was the unpredicatible mood of his bipolar father, with Rick frequently the focus of his anger and sadness. When Rick was 18 his father killed himself.

Mr. G. Bridgeman-Clarke says:"Pleased Rick Stein is a chef and not a writer!"

Publisher's Summary

In his second in-depth foray into the world of professional cooking, Michael Ruhlman journeys into the heart of the profession. Observing the rigorous Certified Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, the most influential cooking school in the country, Ruhlman enters the lives and kitchens of rising star Michael Symon and the renowned Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. This fascinating audiobook will satisfy any listener's hunger for knowledge about cooking and food, the secrets of successful chefs, at what point cooking becomes an art form, and more.

Like Ruhlman's The Making of a Chef, this is an instant classic in food writing - one of the fastest growing and most popular subjects today.

Good book, but more philosophical and introspective than "The Making of a Chef", which I prefer. However, what really turnes me off is the caricaturization of foreign accents in this narrated version, specifically for French chefs. Totally uncalled for. Also the dramatization was over the top some points. The first book was narrated by other person, who didn't have to imitate foreign accents to deliver the story.

I'm not a Kitchen Goddess, rather silly, actually (Seriously--I recently ordered Seared Ahi Tuna and discovered... that sucker's RAW!). But even I know about tension, failure, boisterous personalities, and the drive for perfection. "The Soul of a Chef" chronicles all that and then some.We open to the enormous pressure to become a Certified Master Chef, follow with a wonderful chef who just makes you feel good, and end with the near perfection of The French Laundry (this latter part, by the way, was the only part I felt that made the book drag a bit).Along the way is the devastation of having a PERFECT Duck Tureen that is OH NO! Spoiled by unfortunate knife skills. Humidity causing Crepe Crises! Overcooked pasta (Blasphemy! And: The delivery guy can wait... pasta can't)! Respecting food so much that you'll kill your own rabbits, thank you very much (Note: Rabbits scream).And food combinations that'll have you scratching your head. Only dreamers and geniuses think like that, and God bless them, they're usually right.Add to this an author whose own studies of cooking have him hungry (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) to seek out food, cooking, creatives, misery and you have a winner of a book. Especially since, when out with one of the most famous food critics, all he can think of is, "I've GOTTA remember to say that next time I'm out," you know you're in the hands of someone who can laugh at himself.Except for the last part dragging a bit, it's a veritable love song to Thomas Keller, this is a fun book that'll have you cheering for the underdog, groaning when heat makes the shell of the creme brulee soft, and wishing that every chef, sous chef, line cook you know has such wonderful heart. Fine narration, great content, and may I say it? My stomach growled...

18 of 19 people found this review helpful

Peter Y. Chapman

San Diego, CA

27/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Surprisingly good!"

I was worried when this book started out as I was thinking it was just another book trying to capitalize on the reality show / Iron Chef craze. The beginning covers the Master Chef exam and was like that. So, initially I was turned off but then the author began to detail a chef, really getting into the person behind the title. He then covered another, the head chef of the French Laundry in Napa Valley. The horizon of cooking then just really began to open through masterful story development. It helps that Michael Ruhlman actually went to the CIA, took classes and has developed a real insight into the craft of cooking and chefs.The narration was excellent, a good narrator really opens up a book as it should be.I highly recommend this book.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Michael C. Lott

Sandy, Utah USA

24/10/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Makes Me Wanna Cook"

What did you love best about The Soul of a Chef?

The thing liked about this book is the subject. Cooking is interesting, the mindset is fascinating and the CSI is mystical. The thing I loved about The Soul of a Chef is the believable peek behind the curtain.

What other book might you compare The Soul of a Chef to and why?

"Life on the Line" is a book I might compare based on the detail regarding the inner workings of a professional kitchen and the conviction it takes to succeed. Likewise, "Butter, Bones & Butter" for the life psychology and growth as young cooks make their way from inauspicious beginnings.

What aspect of Donald Corren’s performance would you have changed?

Corren's read was flat for my tastes. Not a lot of dynamic range or inflection in the reading. Where some voice actors can make you forget your listening to a reader and transport you through the eyes of the writer, Donald Corren did not do this for me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

If The Soul' were to be made into a movie, the tagline could be "Brown Sauce, Taste It!"

Any additional comments?

The subject of the book made it compelling. Props to Ruhlman for being so dedicated to seeing the challenge through, but I do wish he had a bit more dynamic presence in his writing. The voicing didn't help. Hence the 4 stars.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

chris

FREDERICKSBURG, VA, United States

08/11/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"For the passion of creating good food..."

What did you love best about The Soul of a Chef?

Insight to the passion that some have for creating food, the detail at which they do it, and the never ending drive one needs to work in this profession.

What other book might you compare The Soul of a Chef to and why?

Ruhlman's others

What does Donald Corren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Some additional tonal emphasis

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of the Master Chef testing

Any additional comments?

Insightful glimpse into being an American chef...

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Ex

16/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"great writing, interesting point of view "

fantastic book. the writing is excellent and really puts the reader in the author's place. great sense of the life and drive of a chef and what it takes to succeed in such a business.

also fantastic to hear about now-famous chefs before they were anybody were good, upstanding people.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Mr. & Mrs. R. Barkoski

Fort Lauderdale, FL USA

03/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great!"

I loved this, found myself telling my wife about the various life experiences in this work. Very well narrated!

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Julianna

Sn Luis Obispo, California United States

19/02/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"It all comes together"

It took awhile to get into. I found the whole first part rather boring, but then parts 2 and 3 were fantastic and brought in elements from part 1, which made it all worth it. I love hearing about food and cooking and the heart behind accomplished chefs, so I it was a fun read.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

NC

06/12/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good listen with middle-of-the-road narration"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'd recommend it to someone in the cooking industry, but I probably wouldn't recommend it for the more casually interested.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The most captivating part, to me, was the first third of the narration, which focused on the CMC test. It had a sense of tension that the rest of the book was generally lacking. The last section on The French Laundry seemed to drag on too long for me.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

This title could have benefited greatly from a narrator with a more lively voice. The narrator was very one-note, giving a fairly emotionless reading that bordered on sounding mechanical. Whenever he read a large list of foods, I felt like I was listening to a sleep app with the goal of knocking me out quickly.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

There is a challenge with a food-centric book in that we are so often visual creatures when it comes to cooking. A documentary based on the book would certainly provide a better reference.

Any additional comments?

I should note that I'm coming into this review not as a chef or as anyone in the cooking industry, but as a person with average food knowledge. That may make the difference for you because so much of this book is about finer foods and techniques that I had no point of reference for. I believe those with this knowledge would find it more immersive.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

gerry

Saanichton, British Columbia, Canada

06/12/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Best book"

This is the best non fiction book I have read. Ger it now, you will not be disjointed

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

COLLEGE PARK, MD, United States

27/01/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"McPhee-esp"

The author ties together explorations of several chefs and types of cooking to explore what makes (one type of) greatness in the culinary world.

2 of 6 people found this review helpful

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